Description of the attraction
October 19, 2011 marks the 200th anniversary of the opening of the first Russian Lyceum. Founded by Emperor Alexander I in 1811 as a privileged educational institution for children of the nobility, the Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum (since 1943 - Alexandrovsky) was located like the ancient Greek lyceums (lyceums) in the green, elegant, abundant in parks Tsarskoye Selo.
The teaching program was developed by the famous statesman M. M. Speransky, and is primarily focused on the training of high-ranking government officials. Children 10-14 years old were admitted to the lyceum every three years on the basis of the results of a preliminary test - entrance examinations. The training lasted 6 years, and a variety of disciplines were taught here: moral, verbal, historical, physical and mathematical, fine arts and even gymnastic exercises like horse riding and fencing. Corporal punishment of students was prohibited, which distinguished the Lyceum from all other educational institutions in Russia.
The Russian Lyceum entered the history of the state primarily due to the fact that the great A. S. Pushkin was brought up here from 1811 to 1817. The memorial Museum-Lyceum opened in 1974 in the building of the Lyceum is dedicated to the Pushkin edition, to his friends and associates. A museum that tells about the youthful years of A. S. Pushkin, about the birth of his poetic gift. A museum that tells about this most advanced educational institution of our state, which it was from the moment of its opening until the beginning of the XX century. The museum recreates the environment in which the lyceum students of the most brilliant graduation studied and lived. On the basis of archival materials, the premises of the third and fourth floors, where the life of the pupils took place, were restored to their original form. On the second floor of the Lyceum building on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of Tsarskoye Selo in 2010, a permanent exhibition “We Live by the Memory of the Lyceum” was opened, reflecting more than a hundred years of history of this unique educational institution.
Musical and literary Pushkin evenings are regularly held in the conference hall of the Museum-Lyceum, for which season tickets are valid for schoolchildren. And sometimes these interesting events are held in the Great Hall of the Lyceum, in the very one in which the great poet read his magnificent poems.
The museum continues the tradition of celebrating the foundation day of the educational institution, founded by its pupils - the Lyceum Day on October 19. Since 1994, the museum has hosted the annual International Lyceum Festival "Tsarskoye Selo Autumn", within the framework of which the Lyceum Day is held. Famous cultural and art workers, Pushkin's descendants who come from different countries, descendants of Pushkin's lyceum students gather for the festival under the arches of the museum. These days, outstanding cultural figures are awarded the Tsarskoye Selo Art Prize.
